pink fingertips?

[gphx]

Anyone find the top of the final segment of each finger is pink to red like this?

http://www.dermnetnz.org/common/image.php?path=/hair-nails-sweat/img/telang-le.jpg

What was your diagnosis?

[Carolina]

http://www.ask.com/question/what-causes-red-fingertips

What can cause red fingertips are many ailments. Some are tendinitis, paronychia, cellulitis and scleroderma.

I have Peripheral neuropathy in my feet, and my toes are dusky purple sometimes.  That's from the blood vessels having nerve damage and therefore poor circulation.

Elaine

[mistyrain]

gphx: My fingers sometimes looked like that as a child in the cold, damp climate in Scotland - considered to be chilblains - itch and burn and pain - on the toes as well at times. 

[Dragonfly]

This can be a sign of dilated capillary loops in the nailbed, which is common in autoimmune connective tissue disorders. E.g. http://www.jle.com/en/revues/medecine/ejd/e-docs/00/01/89/22/article.phtml?fichier=images.htm

I have the redness and ragged cuticles, but apparently my capillary loops are ok, so I'm putting it down to dryness.

[Carolina]

Dragonfly!

My ragged cuticles are part of my dryness? 

This is truly the gift that keeps on giving.

I wonder what that was all about, but so much is going on most of the time that this is just one of those minor irritations that seems crazy to even complain about.

But my cuticles  are always tearing and hurting.

well well well.

Hugs, elaine

[Dragonfly]

Mine are, I think, Elaine! I always put it down to biting my nails but I haven't done that for about 15 years (terrible nervous habit from childhood, so glad I managed to stop doing it!) and I don't chew or pick my cuticles either, they just spontaneously split and tear.

When I had my first rheumatology appointment (with a group of very scary and intimidating doctors who were convinced there was absolutely nothing wrong with me because my RF is negative and I don't have joint swelling) they looked at my hands and examined the capillary loops with a dermoscope (sp?), and said they were fine. Thinking about it I'm not sure I trust what they say now, because they were clearly wrong about there being nothing wrong with me...

But anyway, yes, they seem to improve when my skin is more moisturised. I have to wash my hands often at work, and don't always have time to moisturise each time. My skin gets better when I'm on annual leave, lol

[Velcro]

Ha!  I have one that does that!  Only my pinkie finger on my right hand stays tore up.  Splits and tears and looks like dead skin.  All the rest of my fingers look fine but my pinkie has been like this for 3 years!

[SjoGirl]

Could be Raynaud's Phenomenon. It's a vascular issue that can cause an array of color changes in fingers, toes, nose, ears, essentially any extremity. Are your fingers cold a lot? If so you might ask your doc to check on Raynauds.

[gphx]

Yes, my fingers do get cold a lot to the extent holding a cold soda is downright painful as if it were really hot. Yet I routinely pick up hot things which cause people to call me crazy without a trace of damage.

Dragonfly posted a really good link.

Being a T2 diabetic and have a Sjogrens type history (but seronegative, though apparently most smokers are) there are two possible causes and both conditions are associated with Raynaud's.

Hard to pin some things down. Most days I just accept each new development and move on but other days you really wish you knew what was happening to you. At least I don't deliver ice for a living and this is one of the easier symptoms to live with. Interesting how many people have similar experiences! Thanks for all the answers.